[in-si-duh
nt] 
| 1. | an individual occurrence or event. |
| 2. | a distinct piece of action, or an episode, as in a story or play. |
| 3. | something that occurs casually in connection with something else. |
| 4. | something appertaining or attaching to something else. |
| 5. | an occurrence of seemingly minor importance, esp. involving nations or factions between which relations are strained and sensitive, that can lead to serious consequences, as an outbreak of hostilities or a war: border incident; international incident. |
| 6. | an embarrassing occurrence, esp. of a social nature. |
| 7. | likely or apt to happen (usually fol. by to). |
| 8. | naturally appertaining: hardships incident to the life of an explorer. |
| 9. | conjoined or attaching, esp. as subordinate to a principal thing. |
| 10. | falling or striking on something, as light rays. |
| in·ci·dent (ĭn'sĭ-dənt) n.
[Middle English, from Old French, apt to happen, an incident, from Latin incidēns, incident-, present participle of incidere, to happen : in-, on; see in-2 + cadere, to fall; see kad- in Indo-European roots.] |
